Turbo Diesel 1985 Toyota Camry Rare Car. —
I like the alternative fuel type. Diesels are thought to be longer running. Diesels seem more mysterious to me and more different to diagnose. My biggest complaint is difficult starting in cold and it smokes at first. Also oil is very dirty sooty and difficult to clean up. It may have a problem with oil rings or valve seats as seemlying excessive and sludgy oil collects in the overhead valve cover and leaks into the rebreather and clogs air intake? Otherwise a pretty good runner.

I inherited this car in 1999 from my father who kept up with it like a swiss watch. It never gave the family any issues, ever.. It was never beat on, had no rust to speak of, and survived two accidents with only minimal damage. (other cars were wrecked) When i got this car it already had 225K miles on it. The interior never wore, the quality of everything mechanical worked, was original, and never needed to be fixed or replaced. Oil changes done every 3k miles my my father, and later by myself. The exterior color was a silver color that never faded, and with a coat of wax shined like it was brand new. The wheel coating chipped off, and the dull alloy wheels looked almost like polished aluminum by the time i got it.
When i got the car, first car, i replaced the CAT coupler which was a known issue on these cars for rusting out, figure that needs to be done about once every 60k miles. New rear struts, and front struts, new CVJoints, which also seem to go about every 125K miles, and a new timing belt every 100K miles. Other than these things, it had a bad fuel filter that i replaced as well, but i would call this basic maintenance. At 367K miles the radio decided it only wanted to play AM and only at full volume, so i pulled the fuse, the power antenna had also decided yet again to stop functioning, which i assumed was due to the radio issue, so i lowered it, and used a diskman through the tape deck, which was it's own seperate unit in these cars, and made due with that. At 386K miles the CVJoint started clicking again, it would have been the third one i replaced on the car myself, and probably about the 9th that was done on the car. I sold my 85 Camry LE to a friend who needed a car to go back and forth to school. He still owns it and uses it as a commuter car to go back and forth to work. It has over 500K miles, still on the original Engine, Transmission, and probably about the 19th set of CVJoints.
If you find one of these, high mileage, or not, i would pick one up, because even if it needs work, it will last you a real long time.

Tough & Reliable —
very tough & reliable,mine is the 5 speed model,good power plus great on fuel,mine has 302,000 km on it ,still goin strong,but a little bit of blue now & then,prob valve seals,pretty easy to work on

A Quick, Justy, And Plucky Little Toyota That Will Take A Beating And Still Serve You Well. —

This is the first car I've owned myself, having driven my parent's Subaru for a year while I worked to save for it. I picked a Toyota having heard so many sing the praises of the company for reliability and fuel economy. I have to say that the Camry can deliver both. Unfortunately my particular car had a rocky start. She had been abused in a prior life, and the head gasket went almost immediately after I bought it. My first gasket job down, she's now ticking like clockwork. She isn't fast or sporty by any means, she chugs up long hills and idles a little rough, and occasionally shows her age in the completely analog dashboard and lack of any sort of safety features many people expect in a modern car. But if you want something simple, lovable, plucky, and fun with a whole lot of character and reliable if not abused, then this is definitely a car to check out. On top of that the minimalist interior is spacious and comfortable to match the absolutely gigantic trunk. She's old, slow, simple, a little rough around the edges and painted a drab shade of old Volvo blue, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I Love My Car And Will Never Get Rid Of It. I Hope To Restore It Totally. —
I love the crushed, dark blue velvet interior for the seats and the doors. I love that when every body elses new cars are broke down, my 85 camry is the only one still running. Its also very easy to keep up the maintanance on.

The Answer To An Unsolvable Riddle. If You Don't Own The Camry, You Just Can't Know —
Epic. Totally epic. The best car in the world. 290,000 miles and counting. If you own one you already know, if not you couldn't believe better. Ferrari? Lamborghini? Child's play. Enough wasted breath. The impossible perfection of the 1985 Toyota Camry Sedan defies description.

Watch Out For The Dillorian. —
Its an old car, but its built solid. Its a Toyota 4 cylinder that only needs basic maintenance. And as my mechanic said, "It's a Toyota, just needs oil."
Compared to all the other cars out there, the Camry might need some tlc, but if you love cars and like to work on them, then its a great car with many possibilities.

When I got the car it was used well, and although it
had been maintained meticulously, the work was
done by bad mechanics who did bad work. So the
car was in bad shape when I got it. I knew the car
as a child, as it was my mother's car. I drove it
when I was a teenager when it was still a youthful
car.
Performance:
acceleration great - braking great - handling okay
Build Quality:
Great, just really needs to be maintained better than
it had been. Then it would have lasted longer than
it did.
Appearance:
These are boring cars. Comfortable inside, not a
lot of room in the trunk though.
Cost of Ownership:
When it was young and spritely, it was good. But
even though the mileage was still very low (25K),
after it was 15 years old this car acted like an old
man. Falling apart. Needed a new A/C unit, new
everything. It was atrocious. For that low mileage,
it should have still been speeding around town like
a young teenager. After all, it is a Toyota! I had to
put it down. Sold it.
Fun Factor:
When I was a teenager, or borrowing the car as an
adult, when the car was still in good shape, it was
fun. When I owned the car, it was awful to drive. I
hated it and sold it as quickly as possible.
*I would only recommend a NEW Camry to
someone. And they would need to maintain it well
AT THE DEALERSHIP... not at some corner shop.

Beautiful To Drive, Low Maintenance Vehicle, Good Towing Power. —
Reliable, fuel efficient,comfortable, and smooth to drive. Braking, excellent,handling:smooth,acceleration,could be improved but its 24 years old.great purchase price, basic wear and tear maintenance is all you really have to pay, rarely breaks down.Neat appearance.Works great for us.

Reviews From Other Years

Good, Not Great, CarBy timothytre

After 6,000 miles of ownership, I have to say that a Camry is simply a Camry. Known for its reliability and fuel economy and not too much more. While the car has more style and better lines than its p...
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Good, Not Great, Car.By timtre3

The 2015 redesign is significantly improved from the previous style. It has similar body lines and styling of its luxury sister, the Lexus ES350 and the same rims as the current body style of what is ...
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Perfect Vehicle For All Around UseBy NissanofStafford

The pricing is a little higher, however it is made up with reliability, low maintenance and major fuel savings. Would recommend and buy again. Great safe vehicle that has a quiet ride overall. Gives a...
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2014 CamryBy SgtKidJoe

Great acceleration. Car is great on long trip and a daily commuter. I bought this car for my wife and she absolutely loves it. Trunk is spacious and holds a lot of cargo. This is my idea of a mid-size...
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Excellent Car Overall And Comes With Big Fuel SavingsBy hiltyga

The best thing about this car is the fuel savings. I average just right under 40 mpg for in-town stop and go (Atlanta) traffic. This was huge for me because I was getting about 18 mpg with my BMW. ...
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Worst Car That I Have Ever Driven And It Was Almost New!By MichaelTK

Initially I was amazed that the trunk was so poorly designed that luggage that easily fit in a Ford Fusion's trunk could not all fit in a Camry. Had to carry a suitcase on top of passenger's legs in b...
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We Love It So FarBy recoveryagent007

This car is way better than anything we've ever owned and we love the smart key system and the toyota care plan was awesome for the first two oil changes and tire rotations I plan to buy second Toyota...
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Great For The PriceBy beersbm2

This is probably the nicest vehicle you can own for ~$330/mo. The SE version is very sporty, especially in the bright red that we have. Car rides well, is very reliable, and is good on gas. I am pre...
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Great BuyBy ebarber7

I actually loved my 2011 Camry LE, do not have it any more because silly teen texting while driving through an intersection totaling my poor camry. Great safety features allowed me to escape without ...
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As Dependable As They Come.By Moorebros1

This car does what I need it to. Gets me from point A to point B. Haven't had any issues and is always reliable. Will own this car till it can't go anymore. I have always liked the Toyota brand an...
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